blueberry pie (twd)

Blueberry season snuck up on me. When I first saw that Amy’sTWD pick this week was blueberry pie, I hadn’t yet seen seasonal blueberries at the store. But when I went just a few days later, blueberries had replaced strawberries in the produce place of honor. Phew. (Then we went camping in the supposed “blueberry capital of the world”, so…yeah, finding blueberries didn’t end up being a problem.)

Like most somewhat experienced bakers, I already have a favorite pie crust recipe. It’s tasty, flaky, easy to work with, and doesn’t require shortening. However, if I stubbornly cling to my old favorites and refuse to try new recipes, I’ll stagnate as a baker and a cook. I was certainly willing to give Dorie’s pie crust recipe a try.

I also have a favorite blueberry pie recipe, but again, with the trying new things…

Dorie’s pie crust knocked my socks off. It was delicious, flaky, tender, and even easier to work with than my other recipe. However, the shortening is actually a deal breaker with me. I’d rather be careful that my pie crust is chilled enough when I’m rolling it out than eat hydrogenated fats. Also, I think Dorie’s recipe needs to be scaled back a bit. It makes about 20% more crust than other recipes I’ve used, and as a result, the pie had a higher crust to fruit ratio than I like, even though I think I like pie crust more than most people. (Depending on the quality of the crust, of course.)

The filling, well, it reminded me that I love blueberry pie. I ate four (small, I swear!) pieces in one day. I reduced the sugar from 1 cup to ¾ cup, and I’m glad I did, I think I used just the right amount of sugar. I also didn’t have the lemon zest that I was supposed to use, so I fudged that with a bit of lemon extract. I still like my other recipe better – it uses cinnamon as a supporting flavor instead of Dorie’s lemon, and the cinnamon is surprisingly perfect with the blueberries.

The recipe calls for bread crumbs to be scattered on the bottom crust before the filling ingredients are added. I’m not putting breadcrumbs in blueberry pie; it’s just not happening. I considered using graham cracker crumbs, but ultimately got lazy and skipped this step entirely. I bake pies on a preheated baking sheet, which I think helps brown the bottom crust and keep it crispy. I had no problems with my crust getting soggy.

Comments

Glad you liked the pie – we did, too. I think it’s interesting that you prefer the cinnamon; I really prefer the lemon over cinnamon in a blueberry pie. Tastes are so different! My husband was just glad to get blueberry pie!

Your pie looks awesome! I have a favorite pie crust, too, but I figured trying a new one only leaves a chance to find a new favorite, right? I did like that I had enough to make some extra mini pies, but if I plan to make just one pie I’ll certainly scale it back in the future.

Your pictures are wonderful and the pie sounds great! The breadcrumbs really do work. We didn’t notice an odd texture or taste–others wouldn’t have guessed I had added crumbs at all if I hadn’t told them.

I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a cooperative pie dough– the near-body temperature here is not my friend I’ve used fraisage and that seems to do a good job, though… At least I was able to roll it out!
Beautiful pie. Thanks for the tips on preventing a soggy bottom crust too

Your pictures are ALWAYS great, it’s a treat to hit your post at the end of the long list in my feedreader! I hear you on the shortening tip, I used lard, because shortening is a no-go at my house (not to mention hard to come by and expensive in the NL).

mari – I actually have lard. I guess I didn’t realize that it had the same advantages as shortening does in pie crust, as far as a high melting temperature and lower water content. Maybe I’ll give it a try when I make the crust for the galette later this month.

Your pie looks wonderful! I just actually finished baking a pie, and i used a wonderful Pie crust recipe. the dough was really soft and easy to work with. The only problem was, my crust after baking was soo stiff! it was hard to Cut it out, Does anyone kno where i went wrong?